MIAMEOWS, I agree with the suggestion to see your doctor, especially to check on your thyroid hormones and iron level. I'm at my goal weight now, and I'm much colder than I used to be - I wish there were a "fix" for that, but it seems to only be in cranking up the heat and adding sweaters. I tolerate summer weather much better now, though. Good luck in feeling better! And you really HAVE had a bitter-cold winter up there

I would suggest getting a thyroid panel and your iron levels checked. I was always cold, then found out that while my thyroid numbers were iffy my iron stores were non existent. Getting my iron levels to the normal range made a huge difference!

And yes, burning those calories, digesting the food puts off heat. So when you were eating more you felt warmer.

Now I feel normal most of the time. But when it's really cold outside I need extra layers, warm beverages and to turn the heat up!

When was the last time your doctor checked your thyroid numbers? I was always cold, overweight or not, but found out my thyroid was very underactive, was put on the proper med and it's ok now, no matter which weight I'm at, higher or lower..............

Better cold than too hot! Wait a couple of years until the hot flashes start. Maybe more clothes until either the weather warms up or your body acclimates. A heating pad may also be helpful to sleep with or while sitting around in the evening.

BUNNYKICKS
Posts:
2,418
1/10/14 3:16 P

You know, when i first started cutting calories (January 2013), I found that I was often very cold - got cold easily and had a hard time warming up. Whereas I had previously always been too hot!

I swear it has something to do with eating less. Maybe a byproduct of digestion is heat? And when you have less going on in there, less internal heat? I don't know, it's my crazy hypothesis ha ha. All I know is... yeah darn, did i ever get cold. I spent a lot of time dipping into the hot tub, shower or hot bath and otherwise bundling up by the fire. Then spring came and by the time it got cold here again, it doesn't seem to be such a problem anymore.

This winter has been much colder than usual and for a longer period of time. In my area it has also been wetter which makes it seem even colder. My internal furnace is always on high. I typically keep my home furnace around 65 degrees. This year I had to turn on the furnace sooner than usual.

If turning up the heat or putting on more layers does not warm you up, you might want to see your doctor. Perhaps you are a bit anaemic. Sometimes when we are watching the calories we fail to watch the nutritional value of those calories.

oh sorry, yes I do eat more on the days I workout. My calorie goal on non-workout days is 1300. I add probably 200-300 when I do an intense workout. I had been adding MORE calories than that, but then someone told me to not trust the calories burned functions on my HRM or the elliptical machine or treadmill. I'm just all mixed up!

I was also cold throughout December when I was cheating (eating 2000-3000 calories on most days, barely exercising)

It's hard to think about adding more calories when I have only been back on track after the holidays for about a week. But I will definitely try :)

But, the Polar Vortex that has been sitting over half of the continental US is starting to pull back. It's not easy trying to stay warm when the wind chills are below zero. It takes a lot of energy to stay warm in bitter cold temperatures. If you're eating roughly 1200-1400 calories a day combined with exercise for 45 mins 4-5 days a week, your body does not have enough calories (fuel) to help keep your body warm.

food = energy and no food = no energy to help keep you warm.

Eating too little combined with the extra exercise means your body doesn't have enough fuel to stoke your engine to keep you warm. I suspect that if you were to increase the amount of food you eat on days you workout for 45+ minutes, you'll find that you aren't as cold.

How much should you eat ? You're going to need to experiment to find out what works best, but I can assure you that eating an extra 300 or so calories is not going to cause you to pack on 10 pounds overnight.

If you don't want to eat, then you're going to have to increase the number of layers you're wearing or turn up the heat in the house. But, I suspect, increasing the amount you eat will help your body regulate its internal temperature a bit better.

Something new I've been experiencing is that I am freezing cold ALL the time. The only time I am warm enough is during or after a workout. My hands and feet are frozen. I've been wearing two pairs of socks and insulated winter boots to work and my feet still feel like blocks of ice.

I eat about 1200-1400 calories a day, I work out 45-60 minutes 4-5 times a week. I drink plenty of fluids - water and decaf unsweetened teas, etc.

I have a lot of weight left to lose, it's not like I'm super skinny or anything. Is this just the change in my body fat? I live in New England and it's been super cold this winter.

SparkPeople, SparkCoach, SparkPages, SparkPoints, SparkDiet, SparkAmerica, SparkRecipes, DailySpark, and other marks are trademarks of SparkPeople, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this website can be used without the permission of SparkPeople or its authorized affiliates.
SPARKPEOPLE is a registered trademark of SparkPeople, Inc. in the United States, European Union, Canada, and Australia. All rights reserved.

NOTE: Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy last updated on October 25, 2013